St. Croix River search to continue for man who jumped

Divers are preparing to return to the St. Croix River to recover the body of a man who is believed to have jumped on Tuesday.

The bitter cold has hampered searching, and Washington County sheriff's commanders hope the dive team can return to the site when temperatures are higher Friday and Saturday.

The sheriff's dispatch center received a call Tuesday afternoon reporting that a person may have jumped into the river from the Interstate 94 bridge that connects Washington County and St. Croix County, Wis. Several agencies responded, including Washington County's dive team.

A vehicle towed from the scene was traced to a 38-year-old Maplewood man. His name has not been released.

The temperature when the search began was 1 degree below zero, with a wind chill of 13 below, according to the National Weather Service.

"At that point, the chances of rescue were near zero," sheriff's Cmdr. Jerry Cusick said. "It turned into a recovery mission. For the safety of our rescuers, it was getting to be double digits below zero and it was getting dark, so we suspended the recovery."

Temperatures have remained below zero since Tuesday, but warmer weather is expected Friday and Saturday. Temperatures will drop again Saturday night, with a high temperature of 14 below predicted for Monday.